Maria completed her apprenticeship in 1985, in both men’s and women hairstyling and decided there and then that men’s hairstyling was the direction she wanted to pursue. It was the 80’s and punk was dying and the new romantic look was hitting Scotland big time. With plenty of male friends up for a freebee Maria had a ball experimenting with some weird and wonderful creations. Leaving Scotland in 88 Maria spent a year in Miami than a couple of years in the Channel Islands before returning to the UK to take up residency in London.

 

In London Maria worked in a barbershop not far from the Tower of London, she mastered the art of beard shaping under an old Polish man named Frank. Word grew of Frank and Maria’s beard shaping skills and before long every Beefeater from the Tower of London became their regulars.

 

After six months Maria was appointed manager and transformed the shop, with great staff and an excellent music collection and soon built it up to be a thriving business of eight staff. Then within a year, following the same format another barbershop was opened in St Paul and another in Spittlefields market. During the next five yrs Maria was under the watchful eye of her boss Mike Harris, whom she considers her mentor, Mike gave Maria the confidence to go and run her own business, Mike is still involved in the Whacky barber’s chain in London.

 

Arriving in Sydney in 1997 after a few demoralizing days in $5 chop shops, Maria started working alongside Steve and his father; there she discovered they all shared the same passion for men’s hairstyling and a high standard of work. After a trip back to the UK and a long visa wait Steve and Maria decided to form a partnership and opened the Darlinghurst the salon on top of the already successful City salon.

 

Maria believes education is the way forward and still takes regular cutting courses. With hairstyles continuously evolving and revolving she’s finding some of her early creations back in fashion.

Click here to read Steve's story.